


Eternity Can Wait

by candidshot



Series: Moments in the life of Alec and Magnus [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 16:35:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10364814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candidshot/pseuds/candidshot
Summary: The two were having a spontaneous late night date in Magnus’s apartment – sipping on magic cocktails, getting high off flirting and touching and chatting about nothing yet everything~ then things turned into Alec getting depressed about his mortality and its tragic impossibility of him being together with Magnus forever. So Magnus, the man with experience - though troubled himself, had to find a way to ease his lover’s mind.A story about omamori, cherry blossom parties and old teacups - a story about the gift of today.





	

**_“I’ll love you till China and Africa meet”_ ** **_– W. HI. Auden_ **

 

“And this one?”, Alec asked, pointing to a shelf of crockeries, figurines and other relics that looked as if they’d time-travelled through centuries.

Magnus walked up to him and traced the rim of the teacup with his fingers, “this one is from the Ming Dynasty”.

The two were having a spontaneous late night date in Magnus’s apartment – sipping on magic cocktails, getting high off flirting and touching and chatting about nothing yet everything.

Alec was impressed with the antique, “it must’ve been expensive”.

“On the contrary", Magnus wryly smiled, "back then it was quite cheap. I bought it from a peddler”, carefully taking the teacup from Alec and replacing it on the shelf. “He said it was one of its kind and in all this time I truly haven’t seen another like it”.   

There was an obvious pause while Alec processed what he just understood – though, there was no reason for him to be surprised but still…

“Yes. This little thing is hundreds of years old since I bought it”, Magnus turned around and said.  

Alec made a sound, clearly thinking about something unnecessary, “You’ve really lived, haven’t you?”

His voice was the usual tone but Magnus didn’t miss the suggestive beat and so asked, “don’t tell me you’re still bothered by that whole me being immortal and you’ll die someday talk?”

“Well, it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room”.

True.

But;

“Alexander, we’ve only kissed six or eight times, made love only once, went on a date only once, and have only just verbally confessed our love, and already you’re worried over eternity?”

Alec was not happy.

“Then I wonder when is a good time to start?” the dull irritated look in his eyes said it all, “I’m all for effort too but I wonder just how much effort a relationship takes”.

It wasn’t like Magnus hadn’t anticipated something like this – Alec, a mortal who had just recently discovered his freewill to love and was still experimenting and feeling his way around what works and what will take more effort but, “Meaning?” Magnus nonetheless asked, his back turned – cringing at what Alec’s answer was sure to be. 

“You watch the people you care about age and die”.

At this, Magnus was quick to turn around and reply, “but right now, I’m here with you”.

But Alec won’t be comforted by such fleeting and ordinary words, “I’m starting to feel stupid,” he said in a manner as if pained and tormented, “– feeling like I’m the only one who wants this forever thing for us”.

Magnus won’t deny that the pressure of explaining the greater reality was a tedious deed, but it wasn’t like he didn’t have his own set of fears and insecurities too... plus he’d fallen so hard for Alec that he’d do just about anything to ease Alec’s unease--- the Alec who finally came to feel for him and accept him and love him but - “forever doesn’t exist”, he said.

However, as soon as he said this, he knew he’d made a mistake and so rushed to grab hold of Alec’s hand as he was about to leave the loft.  Slow seconds passed and they were still looking at each other, Alec’s eyes big and glossy with fear and uncertainty, and Magnus’s eyes that were old and steady and have lived long enough to mask pain and vulnerability.

But someone had to give in so;

“Do you remember that omamori you got me from our trip to Japan?”

Alec nodded, “what of it?”

“You gave it to me as a protection charm”, and when Alec just frankly stared at him rocking impatiently, Magnus continued, “and that other time you thought I may had died and---”.

“Your point?”

“My point is Alexander, I might be immortal but only to an extent. Yes, as nature is, you’ll grow old and die someday but just as tragic as that, in the next five minutes my centuries of living by some twist of fate and nature could come to an end”.

The room went quiet as Magnus waited and watched Alec deep in pondering – having must realised the logic to Magnus’s argument. But... still, the way he was feeling told him acceptance of their fate couldn’t be that simple, so he rolled his eyes and replied, “yeah, but that’s a one in a trillion chance”.

Magnus couldn’t help the smile that crept up to his lips – this side of Alec, this stubbornness of his, he’d also fell in love with, “you flatter me – though I suppose that’s true; me being the High Warlock of Brooklyn and all”.

But Alec was not impressed nor in the mood to play around with Magnus’s flaunting, so he sighed and said, “I’m leaving”.

Quickly grabbing a firm hold around Alec’s hand Magnus restrategised, “since you’re into the whole Japanese belief - given the protection charm of that omamori, here’s something else you might like; wabi-sabi”.

“What?”

“In Japan and China,  traditions like using old teacups like the one you picked up earlier, for tea ceremonies... and other traditions like parties to celebrate cherry blossoms in bloom like we did in Japan – these traditions, long before even I was born - is known as wabi-sabi”.

And when Alec was looking at him somewhat lost, Magnus told him, “it’s a tradition that acknowledges that nothing lasts forever and that’s what makes it important to appreciate their loveliness while they exist”.

At that point, Alec made a frustrating sigh, “that doesn’t make me feel any better”.

“Oh but you must admit it’s a beautiful concept”, Magnus persisted, his hands moving about in their usual extravagant fashion - his wisdom with age showing, “just think about it - a cherry tree or even a grove can be loaded with blossoms that might seem it would last forever, but then a single gust of wind can send the whole mass of blossoms tumbling to the ground and buried in dirt”. And when Alec didn’t say anything, Magnus took his hands in his, “it’s like us---- what we have now might feel melancholic in thinking forever doesn’t exist, but there’s also beauty and significance in its impermanence and fragility”.

Alec was looking semi-tamed, his eyes still laden with doubt and fear, “so that’s it?” he asked,  his own fingers curling around Magnus’s hands, “just because it’s pretty for the moment makes it ok to just disappear someday?”

“Of course not”, Magnus assured him, pressing his lips to Alec’s knuckles. “However, knowing that those blossoms will be back next year makes it bearable – so we can take our time to enjoy the scenery and prettiness instead of fretting and aching over the day when that gust of wind will blow”.

“And you think that’s us, somehow?”

“We are exactly so”, Magnus smiled, “knowing you’ll be around after a long day… after living for as long as I have, just knowing you’re here now is enough for me to enjoy. In whatever form it may take, Alexander, me enjoying you now, is me enjoying you for as long as I breathe – and that sort of love is timeless”.

“That’s some twisted philosophy that still doesn’t make me happy. I mean…”, and he stopped to form the right words, “I love you and I don’t want you to live without me anymore than I wouldn't want to live without you”.

“I know”, Magnus whispered, the sweet tension in his jawline at Alec's need for him - enough to show that he too was also uneasy, “but it makes sense, right?” because he’s the older man here, the man with experience so he had to find a way to ease his lover’s mind so he said, “that time you thought I might’ve been dead. You were so frightened that in that moment you finally told me what I’ve always wanted to hear – that you love me. That, Alexander, it was only for a second but even five hundred years from now, not a day will pass without me remembering the worry in your eyes for me back then, the panic in your voice and the way your fingers trembled against my skin – I could almost count your heartbeats when we hugged – and it’s such fleeting moments that have the power to move us”.

Alec was moved, allowing Magnus to cup his cheeks, “but what’s the point if the people who make us happy and feel loved are no longer around?”

Magnus smiled up at him, running his thumb across Alec’s lips, “you’re quite the pessimist”.

Alec won’t deny that, though while looking at Magnus, the frown in his forehead very slowly unfolded and so did the pain and doubt in his eyes that were very slowly replaced with the gentle image of Magnus looking up at him with the most pleasant and promised smile he’d ever seen.  

“You’re a very sly warlock”.

Magnus couldn’t stop himself from laughing, “I told you before that even I don’t know the future. I mean, never had I nor would I ever have predicted falling in love again, much less in love with a Shadowhunter. I somehow feel cheated”.

Alec finally laughed and the light in his eyes lit Magnus up like the first bloom of spring flowers – so he wrapped his fingers into Alec’s shirt and pulled him nearer - then tipped on his toes beckoning Alec to meet his lips halfway into a kiss, “but what I do know is that our season of cherry blossoms is now and I want to enjoy you. Without knowing the future, I want to live and appreciate our wabi-sabi”.

Alec was all laughs as he said, “every time you say wabi-sabi, all I can think about is the wasabi we ate with the sushi in Japan”.

All of a sudden, the whole loft was filled with laughter – a haughty tune of relief with Magnus saying, “well that too has a nice slow burn”.

They laughed some more – perhaps the hardest they’d ever allowed the other to witness of them – “Ok, Magnus”, Alec said, “OK… for today, I’ll stop fretting about it”.

Magnus was still clinging to Alec’s shirt, “oh come on Pretty Boy, surely you can do better than just for today”.

A low feeling good sound escaped Alec’s mouth the moment Magnus damped wet kisses up and down his neck – enough enamour for him to try a lil harder, “then maybe one day at a time”.

At that, Magnus’s smile was a delightful one, “sounds perfect to me”, he said, then releasing Alec’s shirt and patting it back into place, “and since all you can think about is wasabi, let’s go get some sushi”.

“Don’t tell me you’ll portal us to Tokyo again”.

“No. I’ll portal us to a great place I know two blocks down the road”.

“Can’t say I’m not disappointed”.

Magnus chuckled – partly due to how childishly cute Alec could be, as well as he somehow felt as though they’d just managed to grow a little closer. After years of having his heart frozen over, it was a mystery how in seconds Alec had started to unlock pieces of him bit by bit. At first, it had frightened him, thinking himself to have grown vulnerable. But he was quick to accept the new challenge that greeted him – the happiness he found and wanted to protect, and so he persevered so as to keep his moment of happiness – all thanks to the tall, dark, handsome, and stubborn man standing before him.

“Well if you love Japan so much”, he started to say as he took Alec’s hands, all ready to go, “then let’s go again during the autumn season. Not only is it breathtaking, but I hear it’s the ultimate form of wabi-sabi”.

“Enough talk about wabi-sabi”, Alec laughed. “Next time, let’s go to China”.

Magnus was all smiles with the thought of Alec planning their near future time together, “when we get back, let’s make a bucket list together”, – he and Alec were most definitely moving forward.

And just as Magnus was about to do his finger snapping magic poof thing, Alec suddenly turned and started to suckle on his lips in long drags of kisses.

Once again, the shadowhunter had stolen the warlock’s breath.

“What?” Alec asked, licking his lips and enjoying the pleasant surprise and satisfaction radiant in Magnus’s eyes and around his mouth.

“Nothing… it’s just that…”

“It’s just what, Magnus?”

“You always kiss me like you’re eating your favourite meal”.

Alec was all laughs and smirks, “that’s because I am”.

 

\---

_magnus x alec[](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Shadowhunters?src=hash)_


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